Soviet Russia's emergence as a naval power with plans for building super-dreadnoughts. is an important development and merits careful consideration, Hitherto, Soviet naval activities thave been of a minor character except in the Far East where, based at Vindivostok, isa sizable submarine fleet and some smaller warships whic, by the very vague and. leertain proportions of the establishment, are Jan irritable factor as far as Japan's naval predominance ig concerned. Other details are generally regulated by the Anglo-Russian naval treaty, which informs Soviet Russia of [decisions taken by other naval power Inow reported that Soviet Russia has decided to bulla warships of 45,000 tons for service in the Far East and as this follows the lead of other powers who are engaged in large build-ling programmes another challenge has to be countered, How definite and earnest is this intention is not known, It is one thing to toy enthusiastically with an undertaking of such magnitude if financial, engineering and docking facilities exist—to say nothing of trained personnel which has been seriously depleted bby recent purges. It is quite a different thing if these essentials are lacking for warship construction is no ordinary engineering job to be undertaken with the facility of motor ear or tractor construction. Tt ig not denied that this decision is dictated by Japan's reported intention to build beyond treaty.limits with the obvious idea of Russia to enhance Vladivosltok's status as a powerful naval base, but it is possible it is more a paper plan formulated fas a warning and defiance to Japan rather than the initiation of an actuality, Although years fare consumed in building the giant ships of today, such threats often exert counterbalancing influence for they indicate potentialiles. "The only danger is that at a time when some form of general naval agreement among the nations of the world is in existence independent action will inspire frenzied and uncontrolled building programmes which will jond only when the ambition and the finances lof these countries come to an end. If Soviet Russia starts building on a competitive scale, Germany and Italy will certainly build, land France cannot remain unaffected, An Anglo-German agreement is. already in existence and there is a general working arrangement between Britain, the United States and France, and "there is interchange of information which acts as a factor of equalization but there is nothing to prevent building on a scale which would make [present programmes comparatively. small efforts,
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